A leader of the Azusa 13 street gang and his son were sentenced in federal court Monday to lengthy prison terms after pleading guilty to conspiring to attack blacks and force them to leave the city. Santiago "Chico" Rios was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess. His son, Louie "Lil Chico" Rios, who is hearing-impaired and required a sign-language interpreter, received a 10-year sentence. Both Rioses have "Azusa" tattooed above their upper lips.

A leader of the Azusa 13 street gang and his son were sentenced in federal court Monday to lengthy prison terms after pleading guilty to conspiring to attack blacks and force them to leave the city. Santiago "Chico" Rios was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess. His son, Louie "Lil Chico" Rios, who is hearing-impaired and required a sign-language interpreter, received a 10-year sentence. Both Rioses have "Azusa" tattooed above their upper lips.

The Azusa Police Department and the Los Angeles County Fire Department have set up a memorial fund for a 17-month-old girl who was killed when her parents' car was hit by a drunk driver. Rachel Suzanne Prado, the only child of Alberto and Kathy Suzanne Prado, was killed on July 22. The police department and L.A. County Fire Department Station 32 have set up a fund at Wells Fargo Bank (700 N. Azusa Ave. in Azusa) to help the family. Donations can be made to the Rachel Suzanne Prado Memorial Fund.

The 6-year-old boy was known for playing in the driveway of his Azusa home, where behind a tall, ornate fence it seemed nothing could bring him harm. "That's all he ever did," said his father, Jesus Valencia. "Play and play, inside and outside." On Friday, as Jessie Valencia chased around a remote-control car, his mother, who stood nearby, was startled by what she thought was an explosion at 3:47 p.m. A patrol officer driving a few hundred feet away at Azusa Avenue and Roland Street knew immediately what that explosive sound was: a gunshot.

A four-man task force from the Azusa Police Department arrested 10 people and confiscated 7,015 counterfeit musical tapes valued at $56,000 in a raid on the weekly Azusa Swap Meet. Police Sgt. James Collins said arrests at the swap meet, which is held at a drive-in theater in the 600 block of East Foothill Boulevard, followed a two-month investigation that was aided by record industry investigators.

Azusa's Police Department building leaks when it rains. The air-conditioning seems to work only in the dead of winter, and the heat only on hot summer days. "The biggest problem is the overcrowding," Sgt. Samuel Fleming said. "People are stepping over each other. A lot of the equipment is ready for the junkyard." Trouble is, fixing it up would cost $2.5 million, and the city has little money to pay for the project--unless residents can stomach a big jump in their assessments.

Two African-American women and their families, who left Azusa in September after months of what they said was racial harassment at the hands of Latino gangs, Thursday filed suit against the Azusa Police Department, claiming that officers failed to protect them from hate crimes. Laurie Martin and Deborah Judge fled their Azusa homes on North Pasadena Avenue in September after two youths on bicycles fired eight shots at Martin's home.

The Police Department is offering money for guns. Depending on the weapon and its condition, police will give Azusa residents between $25 and $50 for guns they no longer want. The weapons will be destroyed at a local foundry. Lt. Karen Pihlak said the money is an incentive for residents to turn in guns that otherwise might fall into the wrong hands. She said police hope to reduce accidents caused by children playing with guns and to curtail the use of guns in domestic disputes.

Cash thrown onto a freeway by a 56-year-old man whom authorities described as emotionally disturbed caused a small traffic jam Sunday as drivers stopped their vehicles to pick up the bills. California Highway Patrol officers discovered about 10 people outside their cars attempting to collect the loose cash on the westbound 210 Freeway near Grand Avenue just after noon, Officer Anthony Martin said. About the same time, the man who tossed the money walked into the nearby Azusa Police Department and told officers he wanted to commit suicide, according to Lt. Steve Hunt.

Windows of more than 50 cars were shot out with a BB or pellet gun in attacks on parked vehicles early Friday, authorities said. Responding to a call about 2 a.m., police found car windows shot out along several streets including the 1000 and 1100 blocks of East Hollyvale Street and in the 300 block of Calera Avenue. On Mauna Loa Avenue between Barranca Avenue and Citrus Avenue, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, seven car windows were shattered. Officials believe that after hitting Azusa, the vandals headed east to Glendora.

Cash thrown onto a freeway by a 56-year-old man whom authorities described as emotionally disturbed caused a small traffic jam Sunday as drivers stopped their vehicles to pick up the bills. California Highway Patrol officers discovered about 10 people outside their cars attempting to collect the loose cash on the westbound 210 Freeway near Grand Avenue just after noon, Officer Anthony Martin said. About the same time, the man who tossed the money walked into the nearby Azusa Police Department and told officers he wanted to commit suicide, according to Lt. Steve Hunt.

A man who was shot after an altercation with an Azusa police officer over the weekend won't be arrested, authorities said Sunday. The 19-year-old was apparently unarmed. Azusa police stopped Jesus Lopez in the 800 block of West Foothill Boulevard just before 7 a.m. Saturday because they believed the car he was driving, a Toyota Camry, had figured in the theft of another vehicle the night before, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Det. Robert Harris said.

Windows of more than 50 cars were shot out with a BB or pellet gun in attacks on parked vehicles early Friday, authorities said. Responding to a call about 2 a.m., police found car windows shot out along several streets including the 1000 and 1100 blocks of East Hollyvale Street and in the 300 block of Calera Avenue. On Mauna Loa Avenue between Barranca Avenue and Citrus Avenue, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, seven car windows were shattered. Officials believe that after hitting Azusa, the vandals headed east to Glendora.

Azusa residents rallied Wednesday to get back their police chief, who resigned last week after a city investigation found that he committed a sex act with one or more female employees at a hot tub party in July. City officials say Chief John Broderick, 47, has received overwhelming public support since his resignation Aug. 16. But in a statement released through the Police Department, Broderick said he would stand by his decision to step down.

The Azusa police chief resigned this week after a city investigation found that he had committed a sexual act with a female employee at a recent hot tub party, sources said. "It was inappropriate sexual conduct," one source said. Chief John Broderick, 47, is a 23-year veteran of the department who headed the force for four years. He was not available for comment Tuesday.

A jury cleared three Azusa police officers Friday in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Duarte man whom the officers shot to death during a July 1997 confrontation. Fernando Hernandez, 28, was shot several times July 2, 1997, when the officers responded to a report of a man with a knife walking toward the Police Department. Azusa Police Sgts. Andrew Sutcliffe and Frank Gilbert Chavez and Det.

Actors may soon be re-enacting crimes from the files of the Azusa Police Department for cable television under an Azusa Crime Stoppers Program proposed by Police Chief Lloyd J. Wood and endorsed by the City Council. The program is patterned after San Diego's Crime Stoppers Program, which Wood said has been highly successful. The plan calls for creation of a committee of volunteers to raise money for rewards for information that helps police solve crimes.

While Los Angeles is buying a $1.5-million helicopter to fight crime, the police chief of Azusa would settle for a used ultra-light aircraft costing about $8,000. It all comes down to "what a city can afford," said Azusa Police Chief Lloyd J. Wood. The ultra-light is more like a motorized glider than an airplane. It has a 50-horsepower engine with a top cruising speed of 35 m.p.h. but can glide great distances unpowered.

July 3, 1997 | RICHARD WINTON and NICHOLAS RICCARDI, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Azusa police Wednesday fatally shot a 28-year-old knife-wielding man who charged officers who were standing in front of the police station, authorities said. Three officers killed the man, identified by relatives as Fernando Hernandez of Duarte, when he allegedly rushed them. Witnesses said that minutes after the shooting they counted 17 markers that were placed to note spent shell casings. In a terse statement, police said that about 8 a.m.

Azusa's Police Department building leaks when it rains. The air-conditioning seems to work only in the dead of winter, and the heat only on hot summer days. "The biggest problem is the overcrowding," Sgt. Samuel Fleming said. "People are stepping over each other. A lot of the equipment is ready for the junkyard." Trouble is, fixing it up would cost $2.5 million, and the city has little money to pay for the project--unless residents can stomach a big jump in their assessments.